9 Virtual Care Stats to Wrap Up 2023 (And 6 Trends to Watch)

First Stop Health’s version of “Wrapped” brings you virtual care trends of 2023 and what to look forward to in 2024. 

Mental health and cost containment strategies were top-of-mind for employers and brokers alike. Growing concern for equitable access to primary care was also a common theme in 2023. Here’s what virtual care looked like this past year: 

Mental Health 

• 95% of employers planned to offer virtual mental health services in 2023.¹ 
• In a survey of HR Buyers, 84% agreed it was “important that plans support, promote and incentivize integration of behavioral health into primary care, but only 28% were satisfied”.² 
• Research found virtual care interventions had a positive impact on treatment of depression and can improve quality of life for patients.³ 
  

Cost Containment 

• Employer-sponsored virtual care costs 23% less than in-person care.⁴ 
• Nearly 70% of employers in the U.S. are focused on managing healthcare costs – and virtual care can help.⁵ 
• More than 1 in 3 employers are implementing programs or using vendors that will reduce costs.⁵

Primary Care 

• Primary care delivered in a virtual setting had a positive impact on efficiency and timeliness to care, as well as performed comparatively to in-person care.⁶  
• Most virtual primary care appointments do not require in-person follow-up.⁷ 
• Virtual primary care can improve patient-doctor relationships.⁸

Looking Ahead to 2024 

• 61% of employers said virtual care will be important for providing primary care services.⁹ 
• 71% of employers said virtual care will be important for providing mental health services.⁹ 
• 96% of employers say engagement in benefits programs are top priority.¹⁰ 
• 50% of employers are planning or considering implementing new programs or using vendors to help reduce costs in the next 2 years.⁵ 
• Employee benefits are expected to evolve with personalized medicine programs tailored to employees’ unique needs.¹¹ 
• Virtual primary care visits are forecasted to increase as employers shift focus to virtual care.¹²
   

The First Stop Health Difference  

First Stop Health Primary Care, Urgent Care and Mental Health solutions deliver patient-first, $0 care to members where and when they need it. As First Stop Health runs independently from carriers, virtual visits do not incur claims, all members are pre-registered for easy access to their accounts and implementation is turnkey.  First Stop Health puts its fees at risk and offers performance guarantees on utilization or return on investment to ensure solution efficacy. 

Primary Care: A Virtual Home Designed for Everyone. We aim to be a virtual medical home for patients and to meaningfully change the way they think about a primary care relationship. Scheduling is available as soon as next day with a Primary Care physician. Members have access to urgent care plus a wrap network of health coaches, dieticians and onsite biometrics starting, as well as advocacy and steerage from registered nurses that goes beyond care coordination.   

Urgent Care: Tried-And-True Care. Members can connect with a doctor in minutes via phone, app, or web. 24/7 access to a virtual doctor for minor illness and injury. Doctors offer advice and steerage in the next step of your healthcare journey.    

Mental Health: Care for the Whole Person. First Stop Health Mental Health includes scheduled visits with therapists for therapy and behavioral coaches for guidance on finance, tobacco cessation and personal goals.    Doctors are available for medication management and prescriptions and crisis support is available 24/7.

1. What employers should prioritize in 2023: Mental health and cost-containment | BenefitsPRO 
2. Voice of the Purchaser Survey on  Behavioral Health Support 
3. The effects of treatment via telemedicine interventions for patients with depression on depressive symptoms and quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC (nih.gov) 
4. Employer-Sponsored Telehealth Cost 23% Less Than In-Person Care (mhealthintelligence.com) 
5. US employers target healthcare costs mental healthcare 2024 - WTW (wtwco.com) 
6. The Impact of Virtual Consultations on the Quality of Primary Care: Systematic Review - PMC (nih.gov) 
7. Most Primary Care Telehealth Visits Unlikely to Need In-Person Follow-Up (epicresearch.org) 
8. Virtual primary care can result in better doctor-patient relationships (dallasnews.com) 
9. Employer Health Benefits 2022 Annual Survey (kff.org) 
10. MBGH_Annual_Survey_Infographic-Final.pdf (higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com) 
11. Where Employee Benefits Are Headed in 2024 | HRExecutive 
12. Medical cost trend: Behind the numbers 2024 | PwC